1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for fitted floors, and in particular for flooring consisting of wooden panels, comprising a number of interlocking modular bearing plates to which a plurality of panel elements can be fixed to cover outdoor surfaces such as terraces, patios, swimming pool borders and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
This type of flooring is currently made using conventional methods that, in the majority of cases, involve the assembly and the subsequent processing in situ of the various flooring components.
An example of the flooring of the known art is shown in figures from 14a to 14c. With reference to these figures, said flooring comprises a number of supporting elements 101, generally arranged equidistantly over the whole surface area to be covered with flooring, that serve the purpose of supporting the flooring, which is constructed thereon, and of separating it from the subfloor.
A number of beam members 102, made of wood or metal, arranged in parallel rows at a preset distance (generally in the range of 40 to 80 cm) are attached to the supporting elements by means of screws or similar means, as shown in FIG. 14a. 
The wooden panels 103 that constitute the flooring surface are then attached to this framework; in particular, said panels are installed in a direction perpendicular to that of the beam members 102, as shown in FIG. 14b. 
Clips 104 are used to attach said panels 103 to the beam members 102, said clips being fixed to the beam members by means of screws or the like.
More in detail, said clips have an omega-shaped profile with two ends 105 suitable for engaging in grooves 106 provided along the edges of the panels 103 in order to retain the panels in a fixed position and separated from one other, as shown in FIG. 14c. 
The gap between one panel and the next is essential not only to allow for water to run off into the space underneath (onto the subfloor), but also and above all to enable the panels to expand and contract as a result of variations in humidity and temperature.
Alternatively, the flooring panels may be attached directly to the beam members by means of screws but, in this case, in order to allow for their expansion, the panels must undergo a preliminary perforation to create a special recess for containing the screws.
In addition, with this system the gap between one panel and the next must be achieved manually by inserting shims or the like between two adjacent panels.
Said known types of flooring have a number of drawbacks, however.
In fact, the above-mentioned steps needed to construct the flooring in situ are rather time-consuming and demand the use of special equipment; and for the floor to be properly installed, they need to be done by skilled and experienced personnel.
Moreover, the flooring thus configured consists of a large number of components (supporting elements, different types of screw, beam members, panels, clips, etc) that prevent any standardisation of the production process.
All these characteristics mean that this type of flooring has always been too expensive to be used on a large scale and it has consequently remained a product for a niche market.
Another disadvantage of these systems relates to the quality of the flooring, and particularly to its stability and durability.
In fact, the supporting elements 101 and the beam members 102 are placed, as mentioned previously, a certain distance apart, that is generally between approximately 40 cm and 80 cm.
The panels 103 that are installed on top of said beam members are consequently supported not over their whole length, but only in certain places (coinciding with the supporting elements 101) where the bending strains become concentrated.
As a result, the static loads that can be brought to bear, for instance, by the weight of objects resting permanently on the floor (such as plant pots, furniture, etc) and the dynamic loads deriving from usage induces a gradual deflection of the panels. Because of these deflections, the surface of the flooring is no longer perfectly aligned, giving rise to an unattractive aesthetic effect as well as to practical problems (e.g. the risk of tripping, problems with supporting furniture, etc).
In addition, this continuous bending in line with the places where the panels are fixed can lead to cracking that, with time they damage the panels completely. Another problem that occurs with systems of this type concerns the installation of the flooring on surfaces that are not perfectly level and horizontal.
In such cases, it becomes necessary to manually add shims to some of the supporting elements in order to make sure that all the supporting elements 101 actually provide support for the beam members and panels, and this takes more time.
Some supporting elements allow for their height off the subfloor to be adjusted but, here again, levelling the various supporting elements takes a considerable amount of time.
There are also other types of paneled flooring for outdoor installations available on the market, that differ slightly from those described above.
Some, for instance, have rapid couplings for the panels instead of the classic clips, that enable the panels to be snap-fastened in place under pressure.
In this case, the assembly of the panel element is facilitated somewhat, but the drawbacks relating to the preparation of the supporting framework (supporting elements, beam members, etc) remain and so do the problems relating to the fact that the panels are supported not over their full length, but only on certain places, where the bending strains become concentrated.